Middle Smithfield Supervisor Spano arrested at township meeting

A crowded Middle Smithfield Township meeting room erupted in applause Thursday as Supervisor Bob Spano Sr. was led away by detectives, handcuffed and charged with violating conflict of interest laws.

DAVID PIERCE and ANDREW SCOTT

A crowded Middle Smithfield Township meeting room erupted in applause Thursday as Supervisor Bob Spano Sr. was led away by detectives, handcuffed and charged with violating conflict of interest laws.

The stunning arrest before 80 onlookers — some of them whistling and one of them shouting "About time!" — came just as Spano was about to take his seat at a special township meeting.

Video: Watch Spano being led out of meeting in handcuffs

Stoic and wearing a black long-sleeved "Jack Daniels" shirt, Spano was led handcuffed into the back of a silver four-door sedan and driven away.

His arrest is the latest development in what has been an intense, twisting saga over a proposal to place a female strip club on property he owns at Werry's Pub on Route 209.

Spano voted Monday to approve a conditional-use application for the strip club despite the warnings of three lawyers — including the township's own solicitor — that such a vote would be illegal since he is the property owner.

He was charged with "conflict of interest," an uncategorized felony that could, if convicted, draw him a five-year prison sentence.

Following his arraignment, Spano was sent to the Monroe County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 straight secured bail. As of late Thursday afternoon, he remained at the jail.

District Justice Brian Germano said he set the bail high because of the seriousness of the allegations and because he considered Spano a flight risk. He also cited Spano's potential to raise large amounts of money.

Spano disagreed.

"The Spano family is a hard-working family," he said. "We're on the edge of everything due to the economy. We're struggling."

A foreclosure sale for Spano's Werry's property scheduled for Thursday was postponed for October.

"I gave the bank $15,000. They want $5,000 a month for the next couple of months until we work out an agreement," Spano told the judge.

And when asked by Germano about income sources, Spano said "Muller's (diner) is hanging on by a thread."

Spano denied he was planning to sell Werry's as some residents have suggested.

Document: View the police criminal complaint against Spano

"There are no contracts or paperwork showing that I'm selling this place. I'm not selling Werry's Pub and have no intention of selling it," he said.

Kerchner told the judge that Spano has been very uncooperative as far as county President Judge Ronald Vican is concerned. Kerchner also said the FBI plans to indict him for insurance fraud.

"These things make him a flight risk. I recommend a high bail be set for him," Kerchner said.

Federal investigators met with supervisors in March after receiving complaints about changes to the township's zoning code that included changes to the adult-use areas.

Then, a month later, investigators including an FBI agent met with Middle Smithfield officials looking into allegations that Spano falsely claimed his domestic partner was his spouse on health insurance enrollment forms while he was still married.

The township paid for the domestic partner's health insurance between 2007-10 when domestic partner coverage was not part of the policies, according to township documents.

In November 2007 Spano listed the name "Christina Brown Spano" on his township health insurance enrollment forms and marked her as his spouse. Spano was and is still married to Lynn Spano of East Stroudsburg.

Spano was entering the township's meeting room for a supervisors' meeting when Kerchner asked him to step into the hallway. Kerchner handcuffed Spano and led him outside the township hall.

"No, I don't think I did anything wrong," Spano said in response to reporters' questions. "I did a legitimate vote. I did nothing wrong."

In a series of escalating moves this week, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office raised the public profile of the investigation. First, Kerchner was at Monday's meeting where the vote took place, and the next day he served a search warrant for an audio recording of the meeting. That was capped off with Spano's very public arrest Thursday.

Supervisor Scott Schaller held an impromptu news conference after the arrest.

"I think it's probably politically motivated," he said. "It's his property, but the law says it's the applicant. He's not the applicant."